After many months (years!) of talking about writing a book, it is finally a reality. I am delighted to announce that Penguin Portfolio/Berkley will be publishing both a hardcover and paperback version of Escape from Cubicle Nation. It is scheduled for publication in the Spring of 2009.
The book will be a comprehensive guide for making the transition from corporate employee to entrepreneur. It will cover not only the nuts and bolts of starting a business, but also guidance on how to get through the fear and anxiety that accompanies the process. Just the kind of stuff we talk about here on the blog!
Portfolio is the home to such great business books as Purple Cow by Seth Godin and The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki. It is headed by Adrian Zackheim who has edited some of my favorite books like Good to Great by Jim Collins, The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams and The HP Way by David Packard.
My editor will be Emily Rapoport, who is one of the smartest, most encouraging and savvy people I know. I feel very lucky to work with her. She is the one who championed this book and made it happen inside Penguin.
My killer agent Joelle Delbourgo, who made the leap herself from corporate to entrepreneur a number of years ago, walked me through the totally foreign and sometimes daunting process of writing my first book proposal. I truly could not have done it without her, and I am so grateful for her expert guidance.
I can’t avoid an intolerable academy award-like acceptance speech since I have so many people to thank for getting this far, so please bear with me!
- My coaching clients not only read my blog religiously, but part with their hard-earned cash to work with me. I am truly humbled by their bravery and honored to have worked with each and every one of them. Getting into the deep, personal issues that the transition from employee to entrepreneur entails is not always easy. As a coach, I know I don’t have all the answers, so the search for what works, and doesn’t work, has shaped what I think needs to go in the book.
- Fellow authors Bob Walsh, Ramit Sethi, Garr Reynolds, Andy Wibbels, Glenda Watson-Hyatt, Matthew Scott, Sophronia Scott, Andrea Lee and Suzanne Falter-Barns, my mentor and inspiration for building platform with this blog, have all been incredibly helpful and encouraging.
- Home girls and boys Marilyn Scott-Waters, Laura Back, Suzanne Babb, Philippa Kennealy, Lisa Evans, John Dodds and Robert kept me sane and made me laugh in moments of anxiety.
- Exceptionally kind and connected local Phoenix entrepreneurial mentors Francine Hardaway and Peter Burns welcomed me to a new city when I arrived from the Bay Area 4 years ago and made me feel at home.
- My Mom and bonus Dad Larry encouraged me to have fun and make time for myself, my husband and my kids while blogging up a storm.
- I got great early support for this blog from the uber wise posse of Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Kathy Sierra, John Jantsch, Bob Sutton, Srikumar Rao, Rich and Jeff Sloan, and Hugh McLeod.
- Martha Beck and my coaching comadres Brooke Castillo, Meadow DeVor and Michele Woodward are true sisters and make me proud of our profession.
- The unwavering faith of the “Original 6” readers of my blog: my Dad Lewis, bonus Mom Dee, sister Gretchen, brother-in-law Gary and best buddies John Fritz and Desiree Adaway gave me an audience when no one else would listen.
- My husband Darryl is my biggest supporter and my kids are my creative muses. 21-year old Jeffery keeps me young and reminds me of the power of love. When Josh was 6 months old, I started my blog. Now Angela is 4 months old and I got a book deal. Coincidence? I think not. 🙂
But who do I really want to thank?
YOU.
Thousands and thousands of you have sent emails, commented on posts, shared your personal stories, given feedback on surveys and outlines, sent interesting articles and URLs, linked to this blog and offered me really great advice and encouragement when I needed it.
This book proposal would not have sold, and this book will not get written without you!
Thank you so much for your generosity and support!
Would you like to help me write the book? Join the Escape from Cubicle Nation Advisory Council
I know that I am going to have lots of specific questions in the next 7 months as I write the book. So instead of driving all my blog readers crazy with a nitpicky posts every 5 minutes, I have created a special group, the Escape from Cubicle Nation Advisory Council. Those that join this voluntary mailing list will act as a source for things like:
- expert advice
- personal stories
- questions about the direction of chapters
- referrals to great resources
I would love a whole bunch of different kinds of people to join: corporate employees that are thinking about making the leap, other entrepreneur coaches, subject matter experts, new and seasoned entrepreneurs. Anyone and everyone is welcome.
You can jump off the list at any time by hitting the “unsubscribe” message at the bottom of each message. I will be clear what I am looking for in my email subject headers so that you can easily scan and delete messages that don’t apply to you.
What I would love is a list that I can send messages to in the spur in the moment, without worrying about people feeling spammed to death.
I will still ask for feedback from my blog readers, just on a less-frequent basis.
If you want to join this advisory council, enter your name and email here:
Please make sure to confirm your subscription by responding to the auto-generated email that will come to you immediately after you sign up. If you don’t get this message, check your junk mail filter.
That’s the story and I’m sticking to it!
After all this excitement, I have come to the realization that I now have to WRITE the book!
My Aunt Char, also known as Miss Beadle from Little House on the Prairie, sent me the following email after receiving three messages in a row from me yesterday about my excitement at the book deal:
“Yikes! That is fabulous. Now stop reading all these congratulations and get to work!”
Good thing there is a pragmatist in the family.
So I am off to the races. I am going to follow the advice of Bob Walsh, who tells me the only way to get it done is to write every day.
Let’s get started!
Congratulations! Can’t wait to get a copy.
just read the great news now Pam, yay! this is awesome… huge congrats to you. be sure to let me know if i can support you in anyway, even if you just need a loving kick in the butt to get writing, hehe (im needing that myself these days as i work on my book)
Hi Pam,
Wow- you’re living my dream! 😉
That has been my dream to write a book that can help change the lives of people.
I know you will do this with great insight, compassion towards those reinventing themselves, a fabulous sense of humor…along with a great writing style!
John Grisham said if you write a page a day and the end of the year (and you have a little less time – so maybe 2-3 pages a day – use a real large font!) you have a book.
Too exciting! a good woman wins!Congrats and again thanks for the inspiration!
elizabeth
Pam,
When you write we read.
When you speak we listen.
When you advise, we take heed.
When you encourage, we take strength.
When you write a book, we wait with bated breath!
I can see it now in Waterstones’ windows – “The Great Cubicle Escape”
Woo hoo! Your star continues to rise. Super impressive, Pam.
My heartfelt congratulations to you! You’re an inspiration. If you can do it while raising two little ones, I have no excuse whatsoever.
Congratulations on the book deal. That’s quite an achievement.
Hopefully this will motivate me to get moving on my own book. 😉
Andrea
oops, my bad for not reading every post. 😉 i read about the book on mediabistro.com last month; saved my procrastinating butt.
Pam did a post about The War of Art last June. As usual – ahead of the curve…
congrats! i just read about this on publisher’s lunch. i’m sure the book will rock and look forward to it! and if you get stuck, check out a motivational little book called ‘the war of art.’ totally kicked my butt in gear when i was struggling with my new manuscript.
Congratulations! And it sounds like you’re definitely runnin’ with the right crowd, and they are the lucky ones. The only bad news is that we have to wait until spring 2009.
More importantly (not really) I can’t believe I’m just now finding out that your aunt is Miss Beadle. At first I thought it was a joke because she looks so much like Miss Beadle, but looks way too young to have played that character so long ago. Little House on the Prairie is one of my top 3 favorite TV shows of all time. You should definitely listen to Miss Beadle. Get to work!!
Way to go! I’m new to your blog but quickly becoming a fun. Congratulations!
おめでっとございます！ (many, many congratulations!)
I joined the Council before I even finished reading the invitation:-) – would consider it an honor to help.
It’s so great when good things happen for good people!
(and, I’m listening to the podcast series all over again – I’m living in Martha Beck’s 1, 2, & 3 stages all at once right now, and it’s nerve-wracking! hearing you be so positive and pragmatic is a great help. thank you.)
What they all said 🙂
Congratulations, that’s some seriously good company you’ve got there at your publishers. They obviously know good writing when they see it.
Congratulations Pam! This is fantastic news and you definitely deserve it! I know your start-up nation coaching group will definitely be buying your book! I am very excited for you and pray that you will continue to prosper.
Best wishes,
Donielle
Yahoo! Congratulations! I know I speak for many when I say I can’t wait to pre-order the book. So many people need what you have to share…. and I’m thrilled to hear you are on your way. Here’s a virtual champagne toast to you!
Warmly
-Paula
First of all, yay! This is great and happy news for you and for all of your readers. I am totally celebrating with you from afar and will celebrate again when I’m holding the book in my hands.
Second, please ignore your aunt’s (well-meant) advice and let yourself fully indulge in a few days of soaking in this time of pleasure and high emotional charge. For one thing, sometimes the “pragmatic” thing to do is to let the new thing be absorbed into your system. Moving straight to “the next thing” doesn’t give the thing you are in right now the chance to have its say.
Anyway, there will always be another thing. There will always be someone’s voice (if not a relative’s then yours) to say, “So you’re done with the book, but now it’s time to market it.” Or: “So you sold X copies but what about the New York Times bestseller list?.” Or: “So you won the nobel prize and the pulitzer and and and … but but but …”
There is always more. And there are always pragmatists who want you to be in constant “doing”. Your best writing doesn’t come from “get to work already” — it will come from remembering the meaning of your work and being true to your voice and your experience.
Just like in martial arts or yoga or dance, work the muscles, rest the muscles. Same for brain, same for heart.
Anyway, my loud two cents which you can also take with grains of salt. And of course if you need another “accountability angel”, count me in!
Congratulations Pam!!!
This is great news!
Congrat Pam! I can’t wait for your book. I knew it would come soon.
And I 2nd Jef’s recommendation on King’s book.
Congratulations, Pam. Your life is an inspiration to us all.
Congratulations, Pam. I heve followed your blog since the beginning and I still do. And I became inedpendent in the mean time… 😉
Since I am also thinking about writing a book, I can recommend you two great books about writing: Stephen Kings ‘On writing’ and ‘Fieldstone method’ from Weinberg.
Good luck with the book! I look forward to it!
Yay! Congrats! I’m looking forward to it and I’m sure you’ll make it great 🙂
Well done! That’s quite an accomplishment. I’ve been struggling writing just an ebook at the recommendation of my mentor (james brausch). Maybe this will motivate me to get it done. Congrats!
Congratulations!
I enjoy your blog and am looking forward to the book!
Well sister – I could not think of a more deserving and wonderful person for this to happen to. You embody the spirit of Intention and Action in harmonious combination!
I look forward to reading my signed copy.
You’re a good egg Slim! Hip Hip Hooray! Thanks for being the difference you wish to see in the world. You deserve this! makehope, michael
Con’rats on the deal and btw are you goin to blog chapters from it as your write the book ?
Brilliant! I’ll definitely get copies for myself and my friends – both the aspiring entrepreneurs and the skeptics.
Great news, Pam. Congratulations!
Oh sis, that is so totally awesome! Congrats, Pam. Looking forward to reading it, although I never had a cubicle to escape from. Shall we resume our late night butt-kicking sessions or does your Aunt have that adequately covered? Congrats again, now get back to writing.
Very exciting! Looking forward to following/being part of the progress.
Congratulations, Pam! I’ve been watching your evolution for the past three years — you’ve been a huge inspiration. I look forward to sharing my input as an EFCuNAC council member. 🙂
Whoo hoo! I don’t know what’s cooler, that you’re going to be published or that your Aunt Char was Miss Beadle. Huge congrats to you Pam!
Congratulations! I love the idea of creating an Escape from Cubicle Nation Advisory Council. Looking forward to reading the book.
I’ve always written books by writing 1000 words a day for two months. Then it’s done! It’s not that difficult once you have the structure and the outline in your head. I’m going to do another one soon, more of a memoir. I bet that one goes even faster.
Lots of good luck to you. Hope we will still see you.
Pam,
Well deserved.
I want to party with Aunt Char, so my book can be completed sooner.
Matthew Scott
Yay! Congratulations! And Yes, as Aunt Char says: the work is waiting… 🙂
Congratulations! I wasn’t surprised to hear that the publishers were wooing you, and I’m so happy that you’re writing a book!
🙂 congratulations!
Congratulations! So well-deserved. I’m so happy for you and am happy to help in any way I can.
Best,
Alexandra
Pamela congrats!
After reading your blog for a while now, I’m sure the content of the book will be exceptional.
Let me know how I can help.